The elderflowers are blooming in my garden, and I think of Elderflower cordial.

I did one year try and make elderflower champagne and it was a disaster. I bottled the champagne in what I thought were attractive square bottles, with fancy clip down lids. I did not realise that square bottles lack the structural strength necessary to contain the pressure. They all very messily exploded. When I think about the traditional champagne bottles they are definitely round and extremely robust with very tightly fixed corks! So this year I am being a little less optimistic and instead, making elderflower cordial and freezing it!

The elderflowers form large, flat-topped creamy clusters, which often cover the bush. The flowers have a delicate aroma of Muscat. When making the cordial, they should be harvested on a sunny day when the fragrance and nectar are at their height and not brown and tired.

The trees are hardy and seem to be free of disease and pests and suit our climate in the Southern Tablelands.

Louis Glowinski, who wrote The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia, does not seem to share my love for this tree or flower or berry. He says, somewhat disdainfully, that southern English varieties, such as the Porch have ‘a poor fruit set, which is totally unimportant since it is used for the production of high quality elder flower wine.’

Elderflower berries can be made into wine or added to jams, such as elderberry and apple, or elderberry and plum. Despite his disdain, Glowinski does suggest planting the following varieties for berries - Monster, Ratty Red and Red Stem Gully. These all pollinate each other, set plenty of berries, and apparently produce excellent elderberry wine.

There seems to be a lot of mystery, magic and folklore regarding the elderflower. Some cultures plant them to ward off witches and unwanted evil sprits. Gypsy folklore warns of bad luck if elderflower wood is used as kindling, and those falling asleep under its shelter were expected to fall into a coma and die! 

I am far less pessimistic about them, and in fact, look forward to yet another year of mucking around with them to come up with something different. As I mentioned, this year I am having another go at an elderflower cordial.

Elderflower Cordial

30 large heads of elderflower

1200g sugar

1200 litres boiling water

4 lemons chopped

50 g citric acid

Place all ingredients into a crock or glass jar and stir morning and evening for 3 to 5 days covering with a cloth. (Less time if warm weather)

Strain the mixture through a sieve or clean chux cloth and bottle and label.

This is a delicious aromatic summer drink diluted with sparkling water served over ice with a wedge of lemon. It can also be used to flavour a fruit salad of oranges and strawberries or added to flavour to a sorbet or ice cream.

I feel it is better to freeze the extra cordial. Packed in recycled and sterilised, one litre plastic milk or water containers are perfect. Be sure not to fill them too much, leaving space for expansion of the cordial as it freezes. Sometimes I freeze them in the ice tray of the freezer.